Loren Petty for Idaho

My Goals:

Quality Public Education

Equal Rights for All

Affordable Housing and Living Wages

Reproductive Rights

Protecting access to Public Lands and maintaining Idaho’s heritage of hunting and fishing rights.

Expanding access to quality medical care.

Standing up for working Idahoans

2026 KBOI Idaho General Election Survey: State Representative

Name: Loren Petty

Hometown: Boise, Idaho

Background: Boise State University BA Communication (2001) and Capital High School graduate (1976). Marine Corps Infantry Veteran (1977 – 1981). Family roofing business employee and manager (Jack Petty Roofing 1981-2021). Periodical publisher (Boise Times 1992 - 1997). 

Years in Idaho:  67 years on September 27, 2026.

KBOI What are the top priorities in your District?

Loren Petty - In District 22 folks are concerned about affordability, especially groceries, fuel prices, health care, and housing. Long time residents are concerned about their children moving to other states where housing is more affordable and wages are better. Parents are concerned about their married daughters of childbearing age moving out of state because they do not trust Idaho’s narrow and rigid anti-abortion laws to protect their lives during pregnancy. Fixed income Seniors are shocked to find that the inflated values of their homes have excluded them from continuing to qualify for property tax relief via the circuit breaker. Parents are upset that public schools are being underfunded by the state while precious education money is diverted to provide private school tuition relief for mostly wealthy recipients.

KBOI What are you going to do to make sure your constituents have a voice at the Capitol?

Loren Petty – I am available to any constituent in my District and to any Idahoan that needs help and does not know where to turn. I am strongly in favor of hearing public testimony on every bill that allows time for people to speak out both in support and against legislation, no matter where I stand personally. And I strongly believe in the only direct democracy the people of Idaho have via ballot initiatives. When the people speak by voting to pass a ballot initiative, I pledge to honor the will of the people. And I pledge to never vote to weaken the voice of the people of Idaho by overturning a decision made by ballot initiative. I also pledge to strengthen, rather than weaken or eliminate, the ability of the people of Idaho to make decisions via the direct democracy of the ballot initiative.

KBOI What is the biggest issue not currently being addressed by the legislature?

Loren Petty I have seen few efforts by the GOP majority to address the affordability issue in the state of Idaho. They have usurped the right of local government to set fair minimum wages for their towns and counties, or to regulate unscrupulous landlords, and seem to believe that Idaho’s rural representatives should be allowed to micromanage local government in urban and resort areas. I don’t know what happened to the Republican ideal that the government closest to the people best serves the people, but I agree with it still.

 I also recall when past Attorney Generals called on the oil industry to account for some of the highest fuel prices in the nation here in Idaho. The present occupier of that office, along with our legislative majority, is more concerned about who is using what bathroom in privately owned spaces like restaurants, than showing any concern about maintaining a state economy where restaurants are able to keep their doors open. They are more concerned about the country of origin of the restaurant staff than the prices on the menu. And those prices reflect the cost of having to comply with ridiculous regulations mandated by the state requiring the restaurant to police the behavior of their clientele in terms of what restroom they choose to use, because someone somewhere was unsure about someone’s gender or took offense to a woman going into the men’s when faced with a 15 person waiting line. Diversion from real issues, and reality in general, have become standard practice as the legislature chooses to focus on genitalia and state sponsored discrimination while zeroing out funds for fighting fires and other essential services. 

KBOI Idaho has recently faced budget shortfalls; what are your solutions?

Loren Petty Idaho’s budget shortfalls are self-inflicted by a legislative majority and Governor who have spent numerous sessions delivering tax relief to those in the top income brackets and paying for it by reducing services for everyone else. Ignoring the fact that those in the top income brackets rely on government services to operate their businesses; services like transportation infrastructure that ship their goods to markets all over the world, fire and police protection to ensure their businesses are not robbed or burned to the ground by arsonists or wildfire, education to ensure they can find qualified employees right here in Idaho, and trade missions by state government envoys that open new markets for their goods. To allow those who gain the most from state government to pay the least to maintain it is a recipe for failure. I am certainly not against targeted tax relief, as long as the relief is aimed at those who are least able to pay their taxes and still maintain a minimal quality of life with access to essentials like food, transportation,  housing and health care. But I firmly believe those benefiting the most must pay their fair share to maintain essential services. No millionaire should pay at a lower tax rate than nurses, teachers, police officers, or firefighters. It was progressive tax policies in this state and nation that created the largest middle class in the entire world, and it is progressive tax rates that will restore that middle class. The last I heard the billionaire class in this nation is hailing the rise of robotics and AI to eliminate as many human resources (employees) as possible. If the entire tax burden continues to shift to workers at the same time more and more jobs are eliminated, the tax base will disappear. I don’t know what kind of consumers robots or AI might be, but I don’t think machines with no paycheck are going to sustain any economy. The rich must be taxed or civilization falls.  I have visited nations where 90 percent of the population lives in poverty and government services are few and far between. They are all third world nations. That’s not the future I want for my Native state.

KBOI In 300 words or less, why should people vote for you?

Loren Petty  It might be easier to explain why people should not vote for me. If you believe people should be persecuted for who they love, the color of their skin, or if they choose to worship at a Ward, Synagogue, or Mosque, you should not vote for me.

If you believe abortion is never justified even when the life, health, or future fertility of the mother is in jeopardy, you should not vote for me.

If you believe that supporting public schools, (the very backbone of civilization) is too much of a burden to bear, and we should reserve education only for those who can afford it entirely on their own, then you should not vote for me.

If you believe that public lands in Idaho should be sold to the highest bidders to become exclusive playgrounds for the world’s wealthiest persons, you should not vote for me.

If you happen to be among those who believe the opposite of all those things are true, that equal rights under the law are guaranteed under the Constitution, that everyone is indeed welcome here, that gender equity is the law of the land, that public lands belong to all of us and should be preserved for future generations, that education is the key to the future of our state and that quality public education is mandated by the state constitution, then I welcome your vote. And as an Idaho Native, I thank you for actually standing up for the Idaho way.

Do you know Loren as a Marine, student, journalist, roofer, friend, or major annoyance? The people of D22 would like to hear your TESTIMONIALS regarding this candidate. It matters not where you live, just be truthful, and mind your language :) Please use the above form to send your stories.

Thank you

E-mail loren@lorenpettyforidaho.com

Now accepting campaign donations. $5 is fine, but if you can spare a little more, that would be great. I am not planning on running an extravagant campaign, you can be sure I will do my best to make the most of what is given.

Loren Petty for Idaho PO Box 190767 Boise, Idaho 83719

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Together, let’s bring common sense back to the Idaho legislature.